What is the hongi and why is the traditional Maori greeting so sacred to the people of New Zealand?
- The hongi is the traditional Maori greeting that sees two people welcome each other by rubbing or touching noses.
- It is a New Zealand tradition that comes from the Maori legend on how women were created.
- The hongi is an important part of New Zealand's culture and those who are offered the greeting should always accept, because of its significance.
What is the hongi and why is it so sacred?
What is the hongi and why is the traditional Maori greeting so sacred to the people of New Zealand? The hongi is the traditional Maori greeting that sees two people welcome each other by rubbing or touching noses. It is a New Zealand tradition that comes from the Maori legend on how women were created.
What is a hongi in New Zealand?
The Mãori Hongi Greeting of New Zealand. The hongi is the Mãori welcome expressed by the rubbing or touching of noses, something akin to the Western custom of kissing someone by way of greeting; however, the hongi is a gesture that carries far more significance.
Why do Japanese greet each other with a Hongi?
By having friends greet each other within such an intimate space, the hongi represents an action that is more powerful than a mere handshake. By greeting one another at such a close distance, the participants both exchange breath, sharing in the very essence of living with one another.
Should the Hongi be performed with me as a visitor?
Should the hongi be performed with you as a visitor, this signifies that you are no longer a mere visitor, you are a tangata whenua, which essentially means that you are to be unified with those performing the hongi with you. The meaning of hongi roughly translates to the "sharing of breath," which is a fairly significant gesture.
Do you close your eyes when you hongi?
It is customary for visitors to shake hands and hongi with their hosts after the speeches of welcome. The head is bent, eyes are lowered or closed, and noses are pressed together before stepping back. 10.
Is hongi only practiced among Māori people to each other?
The hongi may be performed by Māori and non-Māori, and between New Zealanders and foreign visitors.
Why do Māori touch forehead?
This is hongi, a traditional greeting of New Zealand's Maori people. The act, which involves touching one's nose and forehead to another person's, is actually considered the equivalent of a formal handshake.
Where does the hongi originate from?
University of Canterbury professor of Māori research, Angus Macfarlane, said the origins of the hongi held an important role in Māori mythology. The god Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, moulded the shape of the first woman, Hine-ahu-one, from earth and breathed life into her by pressing his nose against hers.
What does hongi mean slang?
The hongi is the Mãori welcome expressed by the rubbing or touching of noses, something akin to the Western custom of kissing someone by way of greeting; however, the hongi is a gesture that carries far more significance.
Why do Maoris pull faces?
Known as a 'war challenge' or 'war cry' in Māori culture, the haka was traditionally performed by men before going to war. The aggressive facial expressions were meant to scare the opponents, while the cry itself was to lift their own morale and call on God for help to win.
Can females hongi?
It is not unusual to see people, young and old, male and female, hongi when they meet in every day situations. The greeting is not reserved for traditional or cultural meetings, it is a natural part of everyday life. Especially for those connected to their Maori heritage.
How do you greet a Māori?
Greetings in Te Reo MāoriKia ora - Hello.Mōrena - Good morning.Tēnā koe - Hello to one person.Kia ora/Tēna kōrua - Hello to two people.Kia ora tātou/kia ora koutou - Hello everyone.Tēnā koutou - Greetings to you (said to three or more people)Nau mai, haere mai - Welcome.Kei te pēhea koe? - How are you?
How do Maoris say hello?
The traditional Māori greeting, the hongi is performed by two people pressing their noses, and sometimes foreheads, together (pictured).
Why the hongi is important to Maori culture?
The tradition of the hongi recalls the Māori legend of the creation of the first earthly woman, Hineahuone. She was formed from clay by the creator god Tāne, who then breathed life into her nostrils.
What is a Māori hakari?
Hākari – feasts – play an important role in Māori culture as a demonstration of hospitality and mana. Some 19th-century hākari featured vast amounts of food, displayed in stacks or on stages.
Is there a Māori flag?
The Tino Rangatiratanga flag is often referred to as the Māori flag and can be used to represent all Māori. Hiraina Marsden, Jan Smith and Linda Munn designed the flag in 1989. It uses black, white, and red as national colours of New Zealand.
Who can do the hongi?
The 'Hongi' is a traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand used by the Maori people. To hongi you press your nose and forehead together with the nose and forehead of the person you are greeting.
Why the hongi is important to Māori culture?
The tradition of the hongi recalls the Māori legend of the creation of the first earthly woman, Hineahuone. She was formed from clay by the creator god Tāne, who then breathed life into her nostrils.
How do people greet each other in New Zealand?
People may hug someone they know when greeting them. Close friends may also kiss one another on the cheek to greet, while others may simply offer a nod. “Kia ora” (Key-or-rah) is an informal greeting for “hello” and “thank you”, and can also be a form of acknowledgement.
In what country do they greet each other by rubbing noses?
New Zealand: Hongi (touching noses) Known as hongi, this traditional Māori greeting in New Zealand is done by pressing your nose and forehead to another person's at the same time.
What does it mean to perform the Hongi?
If a New Zealander should perform the hongi would you, it means that you are to be 'unified' with the person and that you are now more than a guest. Hongi roughly translates to 'sharing of the breath' and when you complete it as a guest, you are given a sense of responsibility for the island.
Why is the Hongi greeting important?
The hongi is an important part of New Zealand's culture and those who are offered the greeting should always accept, because of its significance.
Why is the traditional greeting scrapped?
New Zealand's deputy PM says traditional greeting may have to be scrapped for good because of coronavirus. Winston Peters, the most senior Maori in Jacinda Ardern's government, made the claim on Tuesday as New Zealand considers the reintroduction... Advertisement.
Why is the first Hongi?
Reason One: The first hongi is thanksgiving to Io for the Breath of Life he gave to Rehua to bring to Mother Earth and give to Tane-Nui-A-Rangi who breathed into the nostrils of Hine-A-Huone the Earth Form Maiden whom Tane and thirty-five of his brothers created from sand, shingle and clay on their mother’s public mound on the sands of Kurawaka.
Why do we touch each other during the Hongi?
Reason Three: Our Ancestors profoundly believed the Hoa Mauri Ora – essence of life, abides in the head – consequently when the temples touch or come into close contact with each other during the hongi it is seen as a symbol of uniting two spirits. Therefore the significance is not only a physical contact by the clasping of hands (as in a handshake) and the pressing of noses, but a spiritual bonding of two persons. Unfortunately, the whole concept of the “Hongi” has been lost. However, the theme of the occasion sets the mood for the “hongi”.
What is the meaning of the Hongi?
This video was originally published in 2017. The hongi, a touching of noses, is known around the world as a New Zealand greeting yet not actually used by all Kiwis.
Who performs the Hongi?
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge performs the hongi as she visits Christchurch City Council Buildings.
Is hongi a physical act?
For some it was only a touching of noses but others included the touching of foreheads, a metaphorical exchange of breath and knowledge. "A hongi isn't only a physical act, it's also a spiritual act," Clarke said.
Who breathed life into Hine-ahu-one?
The god Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, moulded the shape of the first woman, Hine-ahu-one, from earth and breathed life into her by pressing his nose against hers. MATTHEW SALMONS/STUFF. Angus Macfarlane says seeing the hongi in common use would be good as long as its meaning was respected.
Is Hongi an everyday greeting?
Professor Angus Macfarlane discusses whether the hongi could become an everyday greeting for all New Zealanders. First published in 2017. While the hongi could be very solemn depending on the occasion, it could also be lighthearted and youthful, Macfarlane said.
What does it mean to give someone a Hongi?
There are some people who are very staunch with their greeting. The hongi is their way of acknowledging and accepting someone when they meet them.
What does shaking hands do?
Shaking hands joins people together physically. We do that when we hongi and we put our nose to the other person’s nose and make sure our foreheads – where our brain and thoughts are – touch as well. Then we are going to have a hongi. And when we hongi, we breathe in together. It is not a race.
What is the purpose of a hongi?
It is used at traditional meetings among Māori people and on major ceremonies and serves a similar purpose to a formal handshake in modern western culture, and indeed a hongi is often used in conjunction with one. In the hongi, the ha (or breath of life), is exchanged and intermingled.
What does the hongi mean in Maori?
A Maori elder explains the meaning of the hongi when two people touch noses in a formal Maori greeting. At her home just north of Tuai, a small town in the mountains of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, Dr. Rangimarie Turuki Rose Peri shares a song in her own language. Rose welcomes people from all over the world into her home ...
What is the Ha in Hongi?
In the hongi, the ha (or breath of life), is exchanged and intermingled. Through the exchange of this physical greeting, one is no longer considered manuhiri (visitor) but rather tangata whenua, one of the people of the land.
